Relational and Real

Christian reformers during a season of revival. 

Scripture:

Rom. 3:27   Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸ For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. ²⁹ Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. ³¹ Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Observation:

The Jews were exceedingly skilled at boasting about their faith. They wanted their fellow Jews, as well as the heathen Gentiles to see how spiritual they were. Their lives were consumed by the law. Paul was now saying that one was no longer to boast about following God’s law, but where did that leave them? He switches into an entirely new conversation around righteousness, or justification by faith. This was the first real introduction into this concept and one can imagine that it was very difficult for the Jews to understand. 

Throughout the last five to six centuries the church has often been divided over the debate of what actually happens in this moment in relation to grace and holiness. The Protestant ethic focuses on grace, while the Catholic emphasizes holiness (Cell 1935, 347). The Wesleyan understanding becomes a synthesis of both, where a relative change occurs because of justification, that is humanity is now in a new relationship with God, and this new relationship becomes foundational for real change found in sanctification, which is to be renewed, or restored in the image of God. The both-and of relational and real change is God’s ultimate goal in salvation. This occurs because of the grace of God, to which we respond by faith. 

We are left with these overall thoughts from the passage. If we are justified by faith, then there is no boasting; this righteousness by faith is for all people, Jew and Gentile alike; and justification by faith actually upholds the law. (NBBC) Matthew Henry says, “believers are not left to be lawless; faith is a law, it is a working grace, wherever it is in truth” (Abridged Commentary). 

Application:

These passages, written by Paul, upended the world. The gap between Jew and Gentile was destroyed in Christ and this began a new Christian movement that eventually enveloped the entire Roman Empire. Later, when Martin Luther embraced this language of “justification by faith” it ignited an entirely new movement of Christianity throughout the world, an evangelistic movement that moved far beyond the bounds of the influence of the old Roman Empire. God has used these words of Paul to spark revival, just when the world needed it most. 

Just maybe, we are in another one of those seasons where we need a new spark of revival. Could these words have an impact upon us and society today? I believe that they could, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit to ignite anew our imaginations for the incomprehensible work of Christ in our lives. This is God reaching out to humanity to fulfill the law. Christ is the revelation of the law at work and he becomes our model for life. 

The two aspects of this justification by faith, the relational and the real have the ability to kindle a new fire of faith within the Christian community, and this is where I believe it needs to begin. It’s become far too easy to be like the Jews who were following the law. We may not want to admit it but Christians today have fallen into a cultural Christianity that has adopted certain morals and practices that we say reflect our relationship with Christ, but do they? In other words, are we more committed to the morals and practices than we are to Christ himself? This can easily lend itself to “boasting.” We brag that we are not as bad as “those people.” Yet, I’m afraid that if Paul were to shine a spotlight on us, he might just find things that we don’t want to have revealed. 

We are in desperate need of a relational change in our lives. In a previous post I wrote about shooting at the wrong target — not just missing the mark. The relational change draws us back to the right target. Jesus Christ is to be the target for our lives and moving toward him only happens when we are in a right relationship with him. There is the need for us to respond to God’s redemptive grace through faith. In a materialistic world this is difficult, because our world wants to be able to explain away absolutely everything by way of that which we see, touch, and feel — the material. This is when “science” becomes king (only the more that science learns, the more it reveals what it didn’t know). Even science can be consecrated in service to God, and point to the revelation of God in all of the intricate details of creation, should those practicing desire to embrace faith. Faith requires us to put our trust in Christ who is not material. Faith requires us to believe that Jesus entered history to bring us salvation. Faith requires us to believe that there is a loving God and creator of all things. Can we embrace Jesus through faith? If so, then we can experience a relational change — a change of direction for our lives — that Is now focused on Christ. 

Once we experience that relational change, real change begins. Here, the work of sanctification begins in the heart and life of the believer — one who is restored in the image of God. This is the journey of grace that leads us more and more into Christlikeness. The world is attracted to Jesus — but not always the church. This is why this kind of revival would be transformational in our world today because a church filled with Christlike believers would become light for a darkened world. The church should not just be filled with those who can “boast” of their activities, but of those who have experienced relational and real change, and therefore represent Christ in all that they do, inside and outside of its walls. The deep need of our world today is to once again experience both the relational and real aspects of justification by faith.

Prayer:

Lord, illumine the hearts and minds of those who call themselves your followers to live into your grace. Help me to live out the relational and real change so that I may reflect you to the world. Amen.